Find Lunch:

Archive for 'Mia Dona Meatball Cart'

Free Meatballs Alert:According to Eater, versatile food personality Donatella Arpaia will be launching a second Meatball Wagon in Chelsea soon, and to celebrate she'll be giving out free meatballs today in Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Madison Square Park. No specific locations have been announced, but check her Twitter feed to find out where you can get a taste of her award-winning meatballs.

From Lunch’er Ben: “Just an FYI — I was craving one of Mia Dona’s gelato/brioche sandwiches yesterday and trekked over there yesterday evening. Couldn’t find the cart in sight so I went into the restaurant and the manager happened to be up front so I asked him about its whereabouts. He said they stopped serving them because they just weren’t popular at all. He said he was only selling about 10/day, so it just didn’t make sense anymore. He mentioned getting a ton of press about them but that that unfortunately did not transfer into sales. They won’t be bringing them back sadly.” You know what’s more sad than that? They didn’t even give it a month. (How expensive can it be to sell ice cream sandwiches in front of your restaurant!?)

I may not be willing to trek over 10 blocks at lunchtime for a meatball sandwich, but I’m totally willing to do the trek after work for a gelato sandwich! As we told you last week, the Mia Dona cart is now serving gelato sandwiches from around 4 until 7. I stopped by yesterday and went with the ricotta drizzled with honey. The homemade brioche was soft, sweet, and fluffy; the gelato is pretty fantastic, except the freezer is a bit too cold- rendering the gelato a bit hard. The server did mention that if the cart gets more traffic, they’ll offer more flavors. $6 is a bit pricey for a late afternoon sugar rush, but in fairness it’s probably the cheapest dessert on the block, and quite possibly the best take-away one in the area.

You might have seen part of this story on Eater this morning, but starting tomorrow (Friday, 7/23), the Mia Dona Meatball Cart that Clay tried back in April (on 58th just East of 3rd Ave.), will extend their lunch hours to 3pm. And in even more exciting news for those who have a sweet tooth… every weekday at 3pm it will be replaced by a cart selling gelato sandwiches. For $6 you’ll get your choice of pistachio or ricotta gelato drizzled with honey, and sandwiched inside a toasted house baked brioche bun with a dusting of powdered sugar. That’s kind of pricey for an ice cream sandwich, but I’m sure one of the contributors (Blondie and Brownie, I’m looking in your general direction) would be willing to take one for the team and see if it’s worth it.

In what may ultimately prove to be one of the tastiest shark-jumping moments in the high-end street food trend, fancy Italian restaurant Mia Dona (on 58th St btw. 2+3rd) has entered the fray. As reported last week, “Donatella’s Meatball Wagon” opened for business on Friday, and will be serving lunch Monday through Friday from a shiny red cart in front of the restaurant from Noon to 2pm.

Fad or not, meatballs are God’s food and I had to have it, even if it meant delving into the snootiest corner of midtown to get them. Details and photos after the jump.